Discover the meaning of the term Kfl (كفل) in Islamic vocabulary.
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Updated on 11 April 2026 at 1:05 AM
📖 2 min readSomeone 'kafala, kafulan': to continue another's fast. Taking upon oneself not to speak during one's fast; he is then kafil (plural kufl). The man 'bi-r-rajul kafalan, kafalatan': to stand surety for him; one says he kafala the money, stood surety for the money to its claimant; he is then kafil (plural kufl); he or she is kafil (plural kufala').
The child: to rear him and spend on him; in the Qur'an: 'you were not with them when they cast their pens as to who would take charge of Maryam (yakfulu Maryama)' (Al 'Imran, 44); 'the money to someone': to entrust it to him; 'someone for the child': to make him his guardian. Al-kafil: the one in charge of the orphan, rearing him (plural kufl, kufala'); the surety; the one continuing the fast. Al-kafala: joining; suretyship.
In the Law: joining the kafil's liability to the asil's (original debtor's) in the claim absolutely: by person, by debt, or by specific thing (at-Tamartashi). With Abu Thawr and some scholars: in the sense of hawala. In the Mejelle (art.
612): joining one liability to another in claiming a thing: one joins his liability to another's and also undertakes the claim that became due against him.
The lot and share; the double of reward, or of sin.